


Season's Greetings

by flash_the_geist



Category: Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Family, Fluff, Holidays, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 10:31:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18754648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flash_the_geist/pseuds/flash_the_geist
Summary: In which Arthur's favourite holiday is Valentine's Day, Lewis' favourite holiday is Christmas, and Vivi's favourite holiday isnotHalloween.(Written for a prompt fromIamthesmileyface. Check out their stuff, it's good!)





	Season's Greetings

Valentine’s Day is the one day of the year that Lewis is banned from cooking.

(Well. It’s the one day of the year he _listens_ to a ban.)

“Are you sure I can’t do anything...?” Lewis asks for the thirteenth time, pushing his chair back and half-rising hopefully.

Arthur shakes his head fondly as Vivi sticks her head out of the kitchen. “Nope. Park it, mister.” She points down firmly, shaking the wooden spoon at him.

He hears Lewis sigh, then a grating noise as he flops back into the chair. Denied, Lewis leans to the side, trying to see in the kitchen.

"Ah, ah!" Vivi chides, flapping him away.

Arthur turns around in time to see Lewis pout and tug at the tablecloth. "You didn't even let me set the table."

"You cook, like, every day, Lew," he replies. "Just sit down for once in your life."

Arthur will never admit it, but Valentine's Day is one of his favourite holidays. None of them are in a relationship, so it makes perfect sense for them to hide out at Vivi's place and eat a (totally not romantic) dinner and watch a (totally not romantic) movie.

(Not too far in the future, Vivi and Lewis will start dating and discover that Valentine's Day without Arthur just feels _wrong_. Not long after that, Arthur will look back on these days and kick himself for his blindness.)

When she's sure Lewis will stay put Vivi huffs in pretend irritation and rejoins Arthur at the counter. "How's it looking?" she asks, bending to peer into the oven.

"Nearly there. Can you drain the pasta? I think it's done," Arthur says, poking the concoction in the pot warily. It... _looks_ ready.

"You know, I heard the best way to test pasta is to throw it at the wall and see if it sticks!"

What. "Wait, Vivi, _no_ -"

Too late. With a wet _thwap_ , a long strand of noodle meets the wall and as promised, sticks like glue.

They both stare at it in confusion.

"Uh. Is that good or bad, though?" Arthur asks.

Vivi shrugs. "Can't remember, actually..."

"What is _going on_ in there?" Lewis calls.

"Quick, let's get it all out before he comes in to investigate," Arthur mutters under his breath, and then they're a whirl of activity, plating and dishing and running into each other.

Vivi waltzes out of the kitchen without an ounce of guilt and presents their efforts with a flourish. "Ta-daaa! Spaghetti and meatballs with a side of garlic bread!"

"Oh _no_ ," Lewis says.

"And not a vegetable to be seen!" Arthur adds, grinning as he sets down the pepper.

" _Oh no_ ," Lewis says.

"Oh _yes_ ," says Vivi. "I don't care what Disney says, it's impossible to eat spaghetti with dignity. It's the least romantic thing I can think of, so naturally we had to have it."

"And then there's a terrible movie for dessert," Arthur adds.

"It's not _terrible_ , 'The Blob' is a _classic_!"

Lewis shakes his head, grinning helplessly at them both. "I suppose I can let it slide. Because it's _Valentine's Day_."

"That's the spirit!" Vivi crows. "Oh by the way, if spaghetti sticks to the wall is it over or undercooked?"

Lewis flicks a panicked look toward the kitchen.

\-----

Christmas is a day for family, and Lewis can't actually remember when they started inviting Arthur and his Uncle for Christmas dinner.

He thinks it might have been when they were in school. He'd invited Arthur to join him one year, knowing his friend didn't have any family around - not family like _his_ , loud and chaotic and never, ever leaving you alone, the way a _proper_ Christmas should be.

Arthur had staunchly refused to leave his Uncle alone on Christmas day, though, and so Lewis had brought it up with Mamá. It turned out to be a very neat solution - Mamá has a determination that could wear down _mountains_ , let alone one gruff mechanic, and so it was that the Kingsmens found themselves at the Pepper residence on Christmas evening, both looking completely bewildered to be there.

Such is the magic of his mother.

And then there came Vivi, living all on her own, the mysterious girl in blue who worked at the spooky bookshop, until she became _their_ not-so-mysterious girl in blue that led them into _trouble_ , and when Christmas rolled around they couldn't leave her on her own either, especially with her family so far away.

Lewis looks around the room. Vivi and Cayenne are sitting in a corner, heads bent together, giggling like fiends - concerning. Uncle Lance is having what looks like a very serious conversation with Papá while... holding Belle upside down. Lewis supposes that's one way to keep her out of trouble - if anyone can manage it, it's Uncle Lance.

Lewis heads into the kitchen and finds Arthur helping Mamá ice what looks like dozens of cupcakes. She glances over and quickly holds a finger to her lips, nudging a cupcake toward his lanky friend. Arthur unthinkingly takes a bite, too focused on watching her hands make little sugar roses appear out of thin air. Lewis grins, making a private bet with himself on how much extra food his mother will manage to press on him before the evening's out. "Too skinny," she's always saying...

There's a tug on the fabric of his trousers and he looks down to find Paprika. She holds her hands up immediately, and Lewis obligingly scoops her up, propping her up on his shoulder. "Hello there," he greets.

"Your friends are nice. I want them to come every year. Are there more?" she says bluntly.

Lewis laughs. "Actually, yes! Did I tell you Vivi has a dog?"

Paprika gasps in delight. "Puppy!!"

"Let's go find him, shall we? He's probably still hiding from Cayenne."

\-----

Everyone assumes Vivi's favourite holiday is Halloween.

Don't get her wrong - she loves the celebration to bits, picking the tackiest costume every year as part of her own personal tradition. It isn't her favourite, though.

It seems strange to have a whole day's celebration for the turning of one second into another, but there's something about it that's always entranced her, how the world can spin at some arbitrary date and everything and nothing changes.

Maybe it's the routine of it. Calendars are so subjective, with their cobbled-together names and dates and numbers. What does the rest of the world care where the Earth is on its dance around the sun? And _yet_ , every time, the turn of the year feels like stepping through a door.

It's a frosty January eve, and she's warm as toast. The three of them are sitting in the back of the van, legs hanging off the edge. They're on their way to a case, pulled over on the side of some highway so they can at least attempt to mark the occasion.

Mystery is curled up behind her, a ball of heat at the small of her back. Lewis is at her left, one arm wrapped around her, his unnatural warmth chasing away the cold until it feels like a light spring day. Arthur is on her right, his foot swinging in time to a beat the other two can't hear. They can't afford champagne - not that any of them much like the stuff - so they've settled on hot chocolate.

" **Should we count down?** " Lewis asks.

Vivi shakes her head. "Nah."

Arthur tips his head back to look at the stars. It's a beautifully clear night. "I still don't get it, Vi. Why is New Year's your favourite?"

She hums, following his gaze. Polaris shines bright above them. "Because you're here."

Arthur, predictably, blushes red. Lewis' arm tightens around her, and she feels a brush over her hair and smiles. "Because I want to start every year like this, warm and comfortable and together."

"Is that a... you know, a _thing_?" Arthur wiggles his free hand in a vaguely spooky manner, and Vivi snorts.

"Nah. There's nothing mystical or special about it, sorry. It's... just a promise to myself, I guess. It's... _important_."

Lewis and Arthur exchange a _look _over her head. " **Then it's important to us, too,** " Lewis says softly.__

__They sit in silence for a bit longer, until Arthur hums suddenly, checking his watch. "That doesn't answer a very important question, though,"_ _

__" **What's that?** "_ _

__"Who gets to kiss who first?!"_ _

__Vivi cackles with laughter, the solemnity broken, and reaches up to swat him. "We'll flip a coin."_ _

__" **VIVI!** " Lewis yelps. Ah, his poor romantic sensibilities._ _

__"Rock-paper-scissors?" she suggests innocently._ _


End file.
